Howard Duayne Martin, 81, died at 10:46 p.m., Friday, December 20, 2013, at Memorial Medical Center, Springfield, IL.
He was born November 1, 1932, in Morrison, IL, to Cyrill and Lillie (Ashpole) Martin. He attended Northside Elementary School in Morrison and Fulton, IL, High School. While serving in the military and stationed in Metz, France, he met and married Anne Revelly (later Petersen) in Nancy, France, on March 1, 1954. They returned to Morrison in 1955, where he resided until 1975. They had two children, Patricia and Gary. He married Marilyn Schmidt in St Louis, MO, on April 24, 1976, residing in Springfield until his death.
He was a U. S. Army veteran, serving during the Korean War Conflict. Upon returning to Morrison, he served as a police officer, eventually attaining the rank of Chief of Police of Morrison. He later served as a Whiteside County Deputy Sheriff, until he was selected for the position of Chief Investigator for the Illinois Attorney General in Springfield. After a five year tour in the Attorney General’s Office, he finished out his career with 13 years of service for the Academic Service Department of the Illinois State Police Academy in Springfield, fulfilling several positions there. He received his Masters Degree in Criminal Justice from Sangamon State University. For his professional service, he received the Governor’s Service Award of Excellence in Law Enforcement Training in 1999 as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award. In his retirement, he served as Mayor of Southern View, a suburb of Springfield, and was the key figure in acquiring a grant for the development of the Southern View Park. Most recently he was a part-time training coordinator for the Mobil Training Union No. 10. He was a proud 50+ year member of the American Legion, Morrison, IL, Post #328, serving several years as Commander. He served as chairman of the Whiteside County Fair Board, was a member of the Morrison “Mustangers” Saddle Club, and was an active member of the National Rifle Association. He attended the West Side Christian Church in Springfield and the BeauKnot Class for adult Christian education. He enjoyed restoring antique cars, having personally completed frame off restorations of a 1930 Model A, for which he was awarded first place in its category for the State of Illinois five consecutive years, and two mid-1960’s Mustangs. He was an active member of the Central Illinois Mustang Club and served as President.
He is survived by his wife Marilyn; his daughter, Patti (Dave) Austin of Riverton, IL; his son, Gary (Thessy) Martin of Munich, Germany; one sister, Maryllin (Bo) Newton of Irving, TX; one brother, Richard (Gloria) Martin of Spring Hill, FL; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren, with a seventh on the way, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, William, Cyrill, and Robert Martin; two sisters, Joan Girtman and Amaryllis Scholten; one nephew, Douglas Newton.
Services will be held at a later date at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Springfield, IL, with Gary Winkleman officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to BeauKnot Class at West Side Christian Church.
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